I've never bought anything in Zara for several reasons, the main reason being that most of their clothes are quite tatty and insubstantial and yet cost more than Penneys. Secondly, I'm a size 12 and yet there are size 16 items in Zara that don't fit.

Interesting to note that Mango have closed down their Ireland operations due to poor sales.

Well OP i am too fat to shop in Zara( size 18 but a helluva rack lol)...... but i do know that my BF cannot buy jeans there because they are way too long!!!!!! i mean he's like trippy mac tripperson if he tries on a pair.....So next or gap it is for him FYI .............bershka are the same( for longer taller ppl) awear are good

Interesting to note that Mango have closed down their Ireland operations due to poor sales.

Well, it was more complicated than that. The franchise owners in Ireland had a dispute with Mango HQ and one of their complaints was that they weren't providing them with enough good stock to sell:

Quote:

Originally Posted by from the Irish Times

The Kelly family is now seeking redress for its franchise operation failure and they plan to join forces with other disgruntled franchisees and take legal action against the retailer.

Simon Kelly claims Mango stopped providing Fabline and Latest Venture with new stock last October. He also recounts how the retailer supplied small quantities of its topline garments - Mango has a three-tier grading system for its products - while delivering large quantities of its lower-rated stock.

He says there were "times when we had women literally crying for a certain dress" but points out the poorly managed supply chain prevented them from dealing promptly with such requests. "Essentially we were getting the wrong stock in the wrong place because Mango did not have a proper technology system in place."

He adds the retailer failed to stock the Dundrum Town Centre shop with some of the chain's celebrity clothing lines and provided insufficient volumes of the popular Penelope Cruz range in 2007, which is designed for Mango by the actress and her sister Monica Cruz.

He also accuses Mango of diverting stock intended for Irish franchise stores to corporate-managed locations.

As for Zara, I've never found them all that great but then again, I rarely visit Zara as they have no store in Cork city centre where I normally shop. I'm amazed that people are so hostile to the idea of getting alterations done iin-store, though! I think every shop should offer that service - it's the best way to ensure a perfect fit! It would be great to have an experienced tailor go over whatever clothes you're interested in buying and perfecting the fit for you imho.

i love clothes in zara. the work trousers from there i can take up myself, but when i try on their jeans they fit really well but say the faded part thats supposed to be at the knee is around my ankle...so makes no sense to even get them taken up. if only they'd sell shorter jeans.
everything else i like...dresses, tops, skirts, shorts, shoes, bags....bring on the sale

Yeah I've nothing against in store alterations -in fact I bought a pair of jeans last weekend which are being altered as we speak I was just wondering if this is infact a ploy by them to make extra cash. They KNOW the stuff is all too long for the Irish market, but cease to do anything about it since they're making extra money ... it's good to know I'm not the only one who feels like a dwarf when I try anything on!

Yeah I've nothing against in store alterations -in fact I bought a pair of jeans last weekend which are being altered as we speak I was just wondering if this is infact a ploy by them to make extra cash. They KNOW the stuff is all too long for the Irish market, but cease to do anything about it since they're making extra money ... it's good to know I'm not the only one who feels like a dwarf when I try anything on!

They def do not make money on the alterations! They charge the customer what the tailor charges them! In fact it is a lower price than the tailor would normally charge, negotiated ny Zara because they end up giving a lot of business to that tailor! As much as I hated working there, I will give them that much!

Didn't know Mango was gone, have to say it's one shop I NEVER bought a single item in.

Worth Noting its a spanish brand and generally all their stuff is longer, spanish people are taller maybe? and slimmer? seems that way..

No I don't really think this is the case. I was in Spain recently and while there are very few muffin tummies bulging out over their jeans the girls are certainly not as universally slim as french girls. Neither are they taller than Irish girls. Spanish women tend to have big hips especially past after mid 20's which is why my spanish friend explained that they love Dunnes trousers etc.

The explanation given earlier about just cutting one size trouser rather than 32", 34" and 36" makes sense but what the hell is with their sizing

As others have said, you have to go up two sizes in Zara (and I noticed the same in Mango). I'm an 8-10. Sometimes in H&M I'm a 6 depending on the cut of the top/jacket/coat. In Zara I'm at least a 12.

And the clothes just never sit right on me. The trousers just hang in a blah kind of way that make me look like a kid wearing my mothers clothes. The jumpers etc just look ridiculous.

No I don't really think this is the case. I was in Spain recently and while there are very few muffin tummies bulging out over their jeans the girls are certainly not as universally slim as french girls. Neither are they taller than Irish girls. Spanish women tend to have big hips especially past after mid 20's which is why my spanish friend explained that they love Dunnes trousers etc.

The explanation given earlier about just cutting one size trouser rather than 32", 34" and 36" makes sense but what the hell is with their sizing

As others have said, you have to go up two sizes in Zara (and I noticed the same in Mango). I'm an 8-10. Sometimes in H&M I'm a 6 depending on the cut of the top/jacket/coat. In Zara I'm at least a 12.

And the clothes just never sit right on me. The trousers just hang in a blah kind of way that make me look like a kid wearing my mothers clothes. The jumpers etc just look ridiculous.

The worst thing about the sizing in Zara is that it varies depending on what section of the store you are in. Zara ladies has three sections, Woman, Basic and TRF. The Woman section is actually quite generous in it's size, Basic is normal to-a bit on the small size and TRF is for Munchlins and lollipops only! So you end up having to bring about three sizes of everything in to the fitting room!

I love Zara, it's the only place I can get trousers long enough to wear with heels. At least if they're too long you can get them taken up, unfortunately if they're too short there's nothing you can do

The thing is, Spanish people are NOT tall. I could understand if it were a Dutch clothes shop, but Spanish people in general are shorter than Irish people so I don't get the 36 inch leg thing at all. Surely 32 would suit many more people, or at least 34? I used to live in Spain and my flatmate claimed the jeans were long because Spanish girls wear them with heels but I think that's total rubbish, I tried on a pair with heels and they still seemed about 10 inches too long.

I find the sizing a bit on the small side, but I've never had a problem, since size M is nearly always grand (I'm a size 10). The L is hardly 'large' though, probably about a size 12?

I'm short and even the short sizes in most shops are too long for me so I'm used to having to get all my trousers altered. When I lived in Spain all shops stocked the one length in trousers but had in store alteration services which I think is great. Only cost a couple of euro and was ready the next day. Wish more shops here would do it